A week after injuring his hand against the Cleveland Cavaliers, Leon Powe was sent back to the trainer’s room on Sunday. Powe was injured when he went up for a rebound and one of the New Jersey Nets landed on his left foot, hitting a nerve. Powe lost all feeling in his left foot for 30 minutes. After the game he said he can put pressure on it again and is not expected to have further complications. As for his left hand, it is still noticeably swollen but he is playing through the injury.

Pruitt was the talk of evening as Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce sang his praises. KG pointed out that Pruitt goes up against Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo every day in practice, naturally improving any player. “Playing against the Truth, giving him a good taste of what the Truth is all about will make you better,” he said.

Nets head coach Lawrence Frank gave kudos to Perkins and called him “dominant presence in the game.” He also noted that his team got caught up in rotations, weren’t hitting their shots (31.9% FG), and failed at keeping the Celtics off the glass.

Doc Rivers said he wanted to learn more about “3-4″ guys before he made cuts and today he’s taking a look at everyone but Sam Cassell. With four minutes to go in the fourth quarter, Gabe Pruitt, J.R. Giddens, Bill Walker, Darius Miles, and Brian Scalabrine are on the court. This lineup is without a true center so they are pressuring on the perimeter to prevent a mismatch at the hoop. And just in case you thought anything has changed since last season, the fans are still chanting “Scal-a-bri-ne” every 30 seconds.

Eddie House is back at it again. After shooting 7-for-11 from three-point range on Friday night, he has quickly nailed a pair of treys at the start of the fourth quarter. The Celtics lead is now up to 20.

Brook Lopez capped off the first half with a one-handed dunk to bring the Nets within eight, 48-40. A few notes from the first two quarters:

Gabe Pruitt is getting a workout today. He has played 20 out of 24 minutes, leading all players.

Darius Miles, who has been hungry for minutes, got the call in the second quarter. Miles is a pass-first player so his contributions won’t resonate on the box score, but he knocked down one basket and blocked a shot in six minutes.

Yi Jianlian is showcasing his jumper, leading the Nets with 10 points. His range his impressive but it’s safe to say passing on him in the draft worked out just fine for the Celtics.

Neither time is hot from behind the arc — the Celtics are 2-for-9 (22%) while the Nets are 0-for-4.

Thoughts of the Boston Red Sox are never far from the minds of fans at the Garden. During a second quarter timeout, “Sweet Caroline” blared through the speakers as a message reading “Game 7’s have become a tradition in Boston” appeared on the Jumbotron. Celtics jerseys will always reign supreme in this building but there are a noticeable number of Red Sox Nation members showing their support for the defending World Series champions today.

Rivers subbed Bill Walker in for Pruitt around the seven-minute mark. The PG got his first rest after playing 16 minutes (6 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists). House shifted to the one and and Allen to the two, giving the Celtics more size on the perimeter.